2019 International Graduate Summer School on “Frontiers of Soft Matter and Amorphous Materials”

Introduction

Soft matter and amorphous materials have a wide and important application background in physics, mechanics, biology, engineering, geophysics and other fields. Their related theory is very challenging and the study of such materials form one of the most important fields in the current research of the condensed matter and material science. In recent decades, with the development of new theories and the progress of science and technology, many new research areas have emerged in soft matter and amorphous materials. We plan to organize a summer school from July 1 to July 11, 2019, which covers the basic theories, latest achievements and hot topics in soft matter and amorphous materials. The main topics are divided into two parts. One for glass formation and glass transition (Courses 1-5), and another for granular materials (Courses 6-10).

The School of Physics and Astronomy, SJTU, established in 2013, is a continuation of the old name “Department of Physics”. In the past ten years, the school has relied on the support from the national and local administration policies to recruit talents, and hence the school has achieved monumental development. In recent five years, the school has acquired multiple excellent achievement in the frontier research fields of particle and nuclear physics, condensed matter physics, laser and plasma physics, atomic and molecular physics, optics, and soft condensed matter physics, as well as astronomy and astrophysics.

Institute of Natural Sciences (INS), SJTU, is an interdisciplinary center for creative research which aims at breaking down the traditional confines of individual disciplines, and becoming an intellectual center for world-class interdisciplinary studies. The INS faculty consists of internationally-established scientists as well as distinguished young research fellows, and with specialties in fields ranging from Applied Mathematics, Physics, Computer Sciences, to Engineering, Biology and Life Sciences.

Target and Characteristics

The target of this summer school is clear and distinctive.

To promote academic exchange and development of domestic research on the frontiers of soft matter and amorphous materials; to facilitate international research teams to tackle some difficult problems with coordinated efforts; to enhance the influence of SJTU in relevant re-search fields.

To promote the cultivation of graduate students and young researchers.

To strengthen the cooperation and exchange between SJTU and other institutions.

In view of the characteristics of soft matter and amorphous materials, we emphasize students’ understanding of the research background of related interdisciplinary fields; enhance students’ physical modeling ability and ability to use new experimental technologies and computational tools in research. By combining coursework, seminars, poster presentation and panel discussions, we want to help students to broaden their horizons and lay a solid foundation in order to make progress in the frontiers of relevant research fields.

Course Contents and Practical Activities

This summer school include ten mini-courses in the field of soft matter and amorphous materials and workshop about some recent advances from July 1 to July 11, 2019. We will spend 6-8 hours for teaching and discussion every day. We plan to invite 10 internationally established experts from Japan, Germany, France, Britain and the United States to give 10 short courses.

Lecturers (Tentative)

We plan to invite 10 well-known experts from Japan, Germany, France, Britain and the United States to open 10 short courses：

Application and Registration

Preference is given to, but not limited to, PhDs, masters and young researchers with a basic understanding of soft matter and amorphous materials, and senior undergraduates who are interested in pursuing degree at SJTU.
The deadline for registration is May 31, 2018 and there is no registration fee.